Plate.



L. J. TO. SGHWENN.

PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.18, 1911.

1,022,882. Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

WITNESSES [NVENTOR ludzgg J 6 John/67222 BY" UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

LUDWIG J. G. SCHWECNN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PLATE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUDWIG J.- C. SoHwENN, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of the city and State of New York, have invented certain 1111- provements in Plates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to certain improvements in plates, and more particularly in that class of plates which are particularly designed and adapted for use in hotels, restaurants and the like, where waiters are employed and where the plates are subjected to hard usage, and the object of the invention is to provide a plate of a simple and comparatively inexpensive nature having certain features of novelty and improvement conferring increased strength and durability and adapted to facilitate the convenient and hygienic handling of the improved plate without liability of contamination of its contents from the hands or fingers of the waiter.

The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction, and combinations and arrangements of the several parts i of the improved plate, whereby "certain important advantages are attained, and the device is rendered simpler, less expensive, and stronger and otherwise better adapted and more convenient for use, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claim.

In order that my improvements may be the better understood, I will now proceed to describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan View of a plate constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken through one side or edge portion of the improved plate in the plane indicated by the line a-a in Fig. 1, and showing certain features of construction to be hereinafter referred to and Fig. 3 is another fragmentary sectional view, somewhat similar to Fig. 2, but taken through the side or edge portion of the improved plate in the plane indicated by the line 6-?) in Fig. 1, for the illustration of other features of construction.

In these views 1 represents the improved plate as a whole, which is provided with a flattened bottom 2 surrounded by a raised circular wall, whereby a central space or Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 18, 1911.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

Serial No. 615,307.

chamber 3 is produced for the reception of the food, the structure and arrangement of the parts herein shown being such as to adapt the improved plate for use for containing soup and the like, for which purposes my improvements are especially adapted, although it will be evident that the illvention is not limited to application for use in plates for any special purpose.

As herein shown, the raised side wall of the improved plate has a lower portion 4, joined with the bottom 2 and extended upwardly therefrom at an outward inclination such as is desirable for facilitating the nesting of the plates one within another, while the upper portion of said wall has an outwardly and upwardly inclined rim or annular marginal portion 5, which constitutes, in the embodiment of my invention herein shown, the extreme upper and outer edge portion of the plate and is extended at a lesser inclination than that of the inclined lower portion 1, after the fashion of the rims or edge portions commonly provided upon soup plates and the like.

6, 6 represent a plurality of spaced upstanding projections or thickened portions integrally produced in annular series around and upon the upper surface of the inclined annular rim or marginal portion 5, and extended above the same as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the upper surfaces of said projecting thickened portions 6, 6 being alined with each other and plane and smooth as indicated at 7 in the drawings, and being extended outwardly and merged into the extreme marginal edge portions of the plate, with which they are alined and flush, as clearly shown at 8. The upper superficies 9, 9 of the inclined rim or marginal portion 5, intervening between the thickened projecting portions 6, 6 thereof slope downward toward and merge with the inner differently inclined surface of the lower portion 4: of the raised wall of the improved plate, so that the contents of the interior space or chamber 3 may flow freely.

along such surface portions 9, 9, whereby it will be seen that the capacity of the improved plate is not materially or unduly lessened notwithstanding the provision of such elevated thickened, portions or projections having upper surfaces level with the extreme margins of the side wall. By this construction and arrangement of the parts of the improved plate it will be seen that the elevated projections or thickened portions 6, 6 permit of being conveniently and securely grasped between the fingers without liability of contamination of the contents of the plate by immersion of the fingers therein, while at the same time such elevated thickened portions afi'ord reinforcements of the rim or marginal portion 5 of the plate which materially strengthen the same and avoid the liability of chipping such as commonly occurs where plates are subjected to rough usage, as in restaurants, hotels, and the like. Furthermore the said elevated thickened portions 6, 6 afford limiting stops which operate, by contact at intervals around the underside of the rim portion of a superposed plate, when the plates are nested or stacked, one upon another, to centrally position such superposed plate and to limit its entry into the plate beneath, so that where but a small portion of soup or the like is contained in each plate, as at lunches, dinners and the like, the plates and contents may be stacked and nested in such fashion as to permit them to be conveniently handled in greater numbers than would otherwise be possible, the elevated portions 6, 6 of each plate operating to protect its contents from the entry of the lower surfaces of the superposed plate, while if either plate be too full, its contents may flow upwardly in the interstices between its projections 6, 6 in such a way as to prevent such contents from overflowing around the margins of the plate. Such interstices between the spaced reinforcements or thickened portions 6, 6 also permit of receiving the handles of spoons or the like, so that the same may be safely and conveniently carried in the nested plates ready for service, it being understood that the engagement of the thickened portions 6, 6 of each plate with the underside of the rim facility with which it may be handled without likelihood of contamination of its contents.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is p A plate having a central chamber to receive the lower part of a superposed plate and having a raised wall provided with an outwardly inclined rim, the upper surface of which has a series of spaced upwardly extended reinforcements having broad fiat upper surfaces alined with the upper edge of the inclined rim affording rests for the lingers in handling the plate and adapted for contact with a superposed plate to maintain the same above said inclined rim, the portions of the rim between said flat reinforcements affording unobstructed apertures for the passage of a spoon handle when the plates are nested.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 11th day of March 1911, in the presence of two subscribing wit nesses.

LUDWIG J. G. SCHWENN. WVitnesses W. E. LAWSON, W. O. ABBOTT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

